One Born Every Minute - will you be watching?

[MarathonMama]

I know it's slightly sad strange to admit but I love One Born Every Minute and can't wait for the new series to start tomorrow.

I'll be watching even though I'm 30 weeks pregnant and it's bound to put the fear of god into me, will you?

4mad the girl next to me was on a drip, and they tried breaking her waters too, she had the gel a few days before (she was already 2w overdue, I think she had a CS eventually). Guess it depends how busy the hospital is too though, I think they were at full capacity then.

In my hospital the preg ward and delivery ward are on the same floor, that prob makes a difference too?

Being in delivery due to the cameras makes sense though, quite sure I wouldnt want to be on a ward if someone opposite me had a film crew with them!!

I think they were probably in delivery due to the filming. I had DS1 at that hospital and was only moved to delivery suite when labour was well established.

ours are on the same floor, they are opposite sides of a corrider but htey simply will not break your waters or put you on a syntocin drip on the labour ward, not in a million years! maybe different hospitals have different policies and it will depend how busy they are, if they have space on delivery they will maybe let you on earlier than they would otherwise but i know at my hospital they say it is not safe to break your waters on the ward rather than delivery floor, despite it being metres away, they just arent geared up for the complications that can occur ie prolapsed cord etc.

When I had continuous monitoring I wasn't allowed to move from my back.

Buonasera - I found the gas and air very strong, yes, it sent me quite loopy. I thought I would hate the stuff as I absolutely hate being drunk but I actually loved it and found it a massive help. Up until I got it I was considering an epidural and that's saying a lot for me as I'm terrified of getting an epidural! Once I had it I felt like I could cope and I got through the rest of the labour without much problem. I would normally be quite inhibited but once I was in labour (even before g and a) I couldn't care less who saw me or how much of a tit I made of myself. The process is so consuming it's almost like you just don't have brain space for thinking about anything else. It didn't bother me one jot that I was stark naked and raving like a loony, just as long as I got the bloody baby out of me!

I really liked gas & air too, found it really took the edge off contractions and gave something to focus on, you do have to get the timing right and be careful not to continuously inhale as that does get you spaced out. But the really good thing about it IMO is that it's easily reversible and totally under your control, if you stop breathing it it leaves your system straight away, so not a problem if you don't like it. That was my main decision for trying to get by with just TENS and gas & air.

I wondered why the girl with the big baby was moved to theatre for forceps - I had forceps and ventouse with DS1 who was also big, but it just all happened, fairly brutally it has to be said, in the delivery room. I wasn't taken to a theatre. Presumably it was in case they had to do CS?

Yeah I was assuming that Minx.

LOVED gas and air. Didn't use it in my first labour (which ended up with forceps) and I wish I had. Second one was a delight in comparison.

minx I was moved to theatre for forceps because they wanted to prep for c section in case forceps didn't work. Thankfully the forceps worked, but because they'd prepped me for c section I was totally numb from my boobs down. Lasted most of the night. AWFUL!

Anyone else think that referring to large baby as a monster was pretty insensitive? I mean, it isn't really what you want to hear before you've seen your baby and know it's healthy, is it?

I was also a bit disturbed by how they removed the baby from the room, even after it was breathing, before mum had even seen her baby. I really get it that it's important to make sure baby is healthy, but as someone sold on the benefits of skin-to-skin contact I'd be hugely distressed to have the baby removed.

Would a (more calm, supportive) birth partner normally be allowed to accompany the doctors with the baby if it needs to be removed? I figure I'm an adult that can cope with feeling distressed and alone for a short period of time, whereas the baby needs loving contact from the off.

I suppose I'm talking about situations like the one on OBEM where the baby is breathing and just seems to be taken away for observation - not emergency life-saving treatment.

God yes, the 'He's a monster' comment. Very bad choice of words. You worry enough about your baby before its born. To hear that as the first comment about your baby is horrific and insensitive. Its someting that, if it were me I would definately think it was malformed or something (thats what the used to call malformed babies back in the day) and it would definately stay with me. Totally unacceptable.

One of these couples brought their laptop with them to the hospital.

I was wondering if many people really do that?

Do they update their Facebook, do Asda shopping or what?

Yes, the monster comment was definitley very insensitive.

Spiritedwolf - maybe the doctors & midwives were more worried about the baby's breathing than they seemed? With me, DS was also taken off to neonatal almost immediately (he was 6 weeks early), but I got a few minutes to hold him first as he was in good condition when he was born. So I'm guessing they wouldn't have taken Kyan off without letting his mum see him first if they were sure his breathing was stabilised.

my forceps were done in theatre due to epidural not working neededing spinal block and they have to be prepared to do cs and my baby was fine througout and after and wasnt big either only 6lb11oz.
I thought it was the mum that referred to the baby as a monster in theatre and in labour room after?!
I love this programme did you see the clip of the woman for next week in a bikini in the birthing pool looking like a bloody model my god if only I looked that good when I wasnt pregnant!!!!!!
ems x

I am a midwife at the hospital where OBEM has been filmed. Please please remember that what you see is severely edited. That this weeks women were in for 2 days yet the show is less than an hour long. If you think that what you watch is the entirety of a woman's experience then that is wrong. All women being induced are encouraged to be mobile as much as possible in the early stages, but monitoring, which is recommended in high risk labour only, does restrict movement in established labour. Midwives and doctors are not out to make anyone's life hell only to anticipate and prevent complications. Women can of course refuse any treatment or monitoring but the staff cannot then be responsible if complications are not detected in time. It is a difficult balancing act for all of us.

Thanks Esmeralda. I think viewers often forget 'editing', and how editors can edit things to suit their own interests. It's good to have an insiders view.

I dont think the monster comment was insensitive. It's not as if the midwife screamed "DEAR GOD! HE'S A MONSTER", whilst cowering in the corner and shielding her eyes, was it?!

I found it quite amusing - I remember someone saying, "Cor he's a big un" as DS 1 eventually came out! Nothing offensive about it, surely - just light hearted banter?

I agree we must remember this programme is just snippets of what can be day ling situations and the midwives are very busy and are doing a ver important job with the babies best intrests at heart!
I dont think the monster comment was offensive and it may have helped the lady knowing he was big and forceps couldnt be helped x

Whilst you or I may not find referring to the baby as a 'monster' (in the sense of his size, obviously) as insensitive it's not difficult to see how other people might easily find it insensitive, particularly the mother/family. In most of my (extensive!) diversity training it's always pointed out that what we ourselves find offensive/inoffensive isn't necessarily the deciding factor when it comes to what we say and how we act. Is it really a stretch to think 'monster' might not be taken in the way it was meant? it's possible the midwife just exclaimed in shock and didn't really have time to think - even for someone who obviously sees a variety of birthweights he was a big one - but I agree, it was insensitive nonetheless.

DS2 was 9lb 12oz (fanjo delivery, no pain relief and no stitches either ) and I heard multiple comments that in my every day life I would have brushed off but in my vulnerable, hormonal state, I found myself getting upset over. 'He looks like a three month old' (well, he kinda did ) just made me sad I didn't get my 'proper' newborn. 'I'm not used to trying to find a baby with so much fat' from a consultant (from the NICU, used to tiny preemies, no doubt) trying to insert a cannula for the third time as DS2 sucked sugar water off my finger had me in floods of tears.

As a tv moment, though, it was certainly one to draw you in... DF looked stricken as he watched, saying 'Oh god!' (I'm 21 weeks pregnant again so I suspect he was projecting and worrying about what happens if we have another whopper!) but my logic quickly kicked in and I said 'Don't worry, they wouldn't show this if it was a bad outcome'. I hope I was right though... would they have shown that, if the outcome had been the worst?

DP suggested watching OBEM last night (I'm 20+4 now with my first. He's got 2 DS's from his ex & was present for both births - I think he wanted to be sure that I knew what was going to happen). I was weak watching one of the couples - the look on his face when she said "he was the only bloke in fashion college who wasn't gay" was just priceless. DSS1 was upstairs and thought we'd gone mad from the laughter coming from us.

She did a bloody good job of giving birth with a minimum of fuss though! I was very impressed!

I was dead impressed as well! I saw the preview in last week's, with the outfit and the "we're like a fairytale" stuff and I thought, they're setting these two up to look like proper numpties when it all goes pear shaped... but hats off to her, she made it look very easy. Good on them.

Felt sorry for the other lassie, and not massively impressed by her OH who was explaining to her during the labour why he had to tell her to do things she didn't want to do etc. He's obviously read one of the same books as I have where some idiot dad said his job was to deal with the midwife and remind his wife what she wanted when she wasn't in control of her faculties during the labour. (Never mind if the poor woman, completely in control of her faculties, thinks "this is a lot more painful than I remember/expected, I want an epidural"...) Anyway, if he thinks his wife is off her nut because she's in labour, how does he think it's going to help to explain to her that he thinks she's off her nut? She's not going to know what he's talking about, is she?

If my OH tries any of that he'll get short shrift. Oh please please let the twins keep facing in opposite directions so we get an ELCS...

me too, they were both really quiet and calmish, nice contrast to mrs dramatic!

'Mrs Dramatic's' birth made me cry and cry - the tears started when the midwife said the baby's heart rate was all over the place, then I was hysterical when they pressed the emergency button and all the other midwives ran in - I was snivvelling 'I don't like it!' and 'just push!!!!' Is it just me or was she really just not trying hard enough? I'm in my first pregnancy so have never been through birth, but I do get really cross when the woman seems to care more about complaining about how awful it is than actually getting out a 'distressed' baby! I seemed a million times more panicked than her that things could get really bad for baby - even though I knew it was going to be ok in the end. Is it just me being a panicker?!